Sunday, July 29, 2012

peace activity




(not my words)











*mindfulness is our ability to be aware of what is going on both inside us and around us. it is the continuous awareness of our bodies, emotions, and thoughts. through mindfulness, we avoid harming ourselves and others, and we can work wonders. if we live mindfully in everyday life, walk mindfully, are full of love and caring, then we create a miracle and transform the world into a wonderful place*  thich nhat hanh.

these thoughts keep me company while hiking, running, bike riding, beach going, meditating... i've been knitting (hopefully mindfully) night and day too, i'm hoping to be finished before we leave for alaska next month. a young mother told me recently she looks forward to this season in her life, the one i'm in now where time is abundant. but then, she said, she'd miss her children. yes, i said, while nodding my head, smiling and thinking of thich's words. yes. 




*

28 comments:

  1. my god lori........

    this time i am really speechless.

    what you have done here is sacred.

    i love you always
    kj

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  2. We once at a King snake in our garage when we lived in Thousand Oaks--I thought it was a rattler until my neighbor said it was actually a good snake to have around. Nonetheless, my garage was not the place I wanted it! We don't have any poisonous snakes in Western Washington (so I've been told) but my feeling is that they try to avoid us as much as we them!
    Beautiful, peaceful scenery Lori (as usual) XOXO

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  3. Beautiful Lori! And wow you're going to Alaska! Amazing! The only poisonous snake we have (I think ) is a viper and I've only seen one when our cat was playing with it. I'm more scared of the dangerous mushrooms growing in the gsrden :)

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  4. What a beautiful reminder.

    We have many venomous snakes here in Australia, but one does not see them often and they are generally more scared of us, thankfully. :)

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  5. i'm sorry i didn't clarify, the photo with the quote is not by me (it was part of a magazine article. it is me hiking and it is a trail near us)((and there are rattlesnakes!)

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  6. I find that when I am walking in the great outdoors, I can clear my mind and just be. I guess I kinda do the same when I am crocheting or cross-stitching -- enjoying the moment. I have one more month before school starts so I am taking advantage of all the down time that I have available to me now. Sure wish the weather here was more suitable to walking but 120 degrees in the desert just doesn't cut it. Plus, it's Ramadan right which means no eating/drinking in public. Can't walk without water. Your images are beautiful! Have a great new week. Tammy

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  7. It took me until adulthood to see a rattlesnake out while I hiked. I am not sure why this is the case since I had lived in Arizona for so long. I think perhaps the population has encroached a bit more on their homes. It is true that at times I think of the quiet, but I do so enjoy our time now. I try to remember that this time goes oh so quickly.

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  8. Mindfulness!!---the most difficult simple thing I've ever attempted. Just when I'm thinking I'm "in the moment"---I'm off on another mental tangent! I miss so much. Knitting something special for your trip???

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  9. The transformative value of mindfulness. So true. And so beautifully portrayed here.

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  10. This is beautiful! Love that quote :)

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  11. Hard to know what to say, just lovely Lori. Thanks for sharing these words with us all.

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  12. beautiful reminders, Lori.

    I love Thich Nhat Hanh.

    xo
    Lo♥

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  13. Yes indeed.

    There is a season for every joy but, I feel, there is also an element of sacrifice for every one of those seasons. How many complain about a youth misspent? I do not want to look back on these years of intense motherhood and wish I had done things differently.

    Sweet post Lori.

    Stephanie

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  14. P.S. I love your altar. Such a surprise to see it tucked away in a vintage cabinet. So perfect!

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  15. wonderful words about mindfullness! and different seasons in life.
    my kids 18, 20 and 14 are starting to leave the nest, a day that i have feared, thank god it's coming on gradually so i can get used to it slowly.
    i do try to enjoy every season though and enjoy the new "freedom" to do things for me and for me and my husband alone.
    what i am trying at this moment the most though is to cherish every moment of discussion or just beeing together with my big kids!

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  16. When the kids are at school I miss them but not as much as I thought I would. I think it helps that I hear from them often enough. I wish I was as mindful now as when I have wee babies. That was so hectic!

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  17. love getting glimpses of your home. the light there looks amazing.

    and the spiderweb on the trail - beautiful!

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  18. Such a beautiful, mindful post.
    I love your altar ♥ I have a small Remembrance Altar in my Studio honouring all the beautiful pets we have been blessed to have had in our lives. And the words of Thich Nhat Hanh ~ gorgeous.

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  19. A lovely thoughtful post, Lori, and beautiful pictures. Love the idea of mindfulness and do try to achieve it :) I do cherish my times with my grandbabies now I know just how fast my own children grew up!
    Have a happy day!
    Helen x

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  20. mindfulness - so hard when at the centre of life's whirlwind! I often wish for more time, more time, 30 hours in a day just so that I can do some more of the fun stuff instead of always the wiping, negotiating, feeding, warning, teaching, parenting type stuff... and then each and every time my little girl goes to nursery I miss her like a limb for the rest of the day!

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  21. lovely pics and touching thoughts...
    xxxx Alessandra

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  22. I try so hard to be mindful - maybe not ALL the time, but more every day. it's not easy but it's a goal. right now I have to be mindful that it's past 7 and I have to go shower and dress and make my juice and go to work.

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  23. Mindfullness is always a goal. In all hours of the day. Thank you for these wonderful photos. xoxo

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  24. I always like your commenters` comments on your wonderful, thoughtful posts, too, Lori. This is such a nice place to meet.
    I have been through all these feelings of motherhood, exhaustion, abundant love, regrets, heartbreak at separation, and especially the day of final moving out... but now as I am older, I feel happier than ever before. Mindfulness is not a task to think of, it has taken over, and fills my life, giving me serenity and thankfulness. Your walks sound beautiful, Lori, and though mine are different, my heart feels lifted too, at every bird that looks at me, every toad I see, and the feeling of a soft breeze going through the oats field. Life is such a pleasure, every bit of it.

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  25. Whenever I feel that my spirit needs replenishing, I visit you. When I get here, I take each image in and enjoy the heck out of it, then it carry that feeling with me for the rest of the day.

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  26. This is beautiful. I feel like giving you a hug right now, and getting one back. What a peaceful, joyful place is this little corner of the internet. Love. :)

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  27. hich nhat hanh is such a beautiful teacher, as are you. I try to be mindful, but there are those days. It's a blessing that mindfulness is a practice. I love the photos especially the last one. You are always an inspiration lori.
    xo

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xoxo lori